


Confrontation

by Venticelli



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Freak Show
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Break Up, Confrontations, Emotional Hurt, F/M, Gen, Partner Betrayal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-12
Updated: 2015-06-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 07:18:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3927856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Venticelli/pseuds/Venticelli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A blast from Twisty/Sam's past. When he was still part of Rusty Westchester's Carnival he had himself what many would call a girlfriend, a pretty acrobat named Ruthie. Of course, she was always so particular about what sort of affection he could give her in front of other people. In fact, sometimes it felt like she only wanting people to think of them as friends. He hadn't been trying to snoop. Not really. But sometimes you just hear things you really wish you hadn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Confrontation

It was strange to feel so small, but as he walked over to the acrobat’s caravan, Sam couldn’t help but feel microscopic. Having spent his life head and shoulders above most other people it really wasn't a feeling he was used to. The caravan was old and familiar, and pleasant memories were all that he could think of when he looked at it. But they were tainted now. Tainted with what he had heard come from the mouth of the woman that lived there. He could leave. Try and forget it all and move on with his life, but what good would that do? He couldn't forget, and he didn't want to.

He had to take several deep breaths before he could even manage to knock on her door without his hand shaking.

“Ruthie? You in there?” he called, feeling stuck to the ground. He was doing this. He was really doing it.

There was a shuffling sound before the door swung open, revealing a bright eyed acrobat whose smile made his heart do somersaults. Oh dear, this really wasn’t going to be easy was it?

“Sammy! I was looking for you. Ya got me all worried that you’d gone and got yourself lost! Get in here, ya silly thing,” she greeted, tugging eagerly at his sleeve. Her whole face seemed lit up with happiness, the light in her eyes more than just a reflection of the lights in her home. “I’ll make you tea.”

Sam sighed and nodded, ducking so as not to hit his head on the low door as he entered the small living space. It was cozy and warm and just the same as it had ever been, and that didn’t help things one little bit. How could this place where he had come to know such comfort and happiness suddenly cause him such anxiety in such a short amount of time? He sat down and watched quietly as she worked, feeling sick to his stomach from his nerves. The idea from before weaseled its way into his mind once more as he admired her from his seat. Maybe he could just not say anything and keep things the way they were, but that wouldn’t be any better would it? Even if he still had her at his side, her kind words reserved for when they were alone...he’d know. He’d know he was lying to himself and that he wouldn’t be being completely truthful with her. Just because she was hiding things didn't mean he was going to do the same. Mama had raised him better than that.

After a few more moments he finally found his voice, though it was small and uneasy. “I…I heard you talking with the others.” Ruthie stopped what she was doing suddenly, turning to look at him, her sweet face contorted with confusion. Sam had to look away to keep from crumbling underneath her gaze. “I wasn’t try to be nosy. I just noticed. I heard what you said about me…to them.”

“What d’ya mean?” she asked, but her expression had changed from confusion to suspicion, which drove a spike straight through the man's heart. 

“You don’t remember? They asked you. They asked you why you talk to me,” Sam replied, his voice starting to shake from the memory of it. He hadn’t wanted to believe it when he’d heard it. He' thought that maybe he was thinking too much about it, or maybe he'd heard wrong, but no, he knew what he'd heard, and he knew he had every right to be hurt. “You told them you were just humoring me. Told them you felt bad for me. Said I was just a simpleton, nothing really.” _God_ , he wished his voice would stop wavering so much. It only made him feel that much smaller as he stared at her, waiting for an answer.

“I didn’t mean none of it like that.”

“Then how’d you mean it?” he fired back, surprising himself with the venom of his words.

An awful silence stretched between them only to be broken by the whistling of the teapot. Ruthie shook her head and turned to turn down the heat. Sam wished the heat that had risen up in him could have been as easily dealt with for it roared within him with intensity that he had not expected. He wanted answers. He wanted to know _why_.

 “What’d you want me to tell them, Sammy? That I actually…” Her voice trailed off, and the hairs on the back of Sam's neck stood on end, his whole body tense with frustration and hurt.

“That you actually what?" he asked, his words harsh and pointed. "Maybe actually care about me? Like how you tell me you do when it's just us? Why is it just us? Why am I so...why can't you say it? Why won't you?”

He wished she’d turn around and look at him, but all he could see was her back. He knew the answers to these questions, and it stung like no pain he'd known before. “Well, I’m just sorry. I’m sorry I’m such an embarrassment to you. I’ll leave. I’m sorry…”  

For a minute that felt like ages neither spoke, and that was more than enough of a response as far as Sam was concerned. Perhaps, she really did care for him. He wanted to believe that she did. He knew that she did, but clearly it wasn't enough for her to be honest. Seemed her pride was stronger than any love she felt for him or had ever felt for him.S

am stood up slowly, his heart heavy and low in his gut. God, what an idiot, what a fool, he was. He had hoped that maybe…he didn’t know what he’d hoped for. A simpleton and an embarrassment was all anyone would see him as. Nothing more. He sighed, wishing she’d have at least one more sweet word for him, but nothing came.

The door stuck a bit, and the creaking noise of it only made the silence between them feel more pronounced. That made the outside air feel so much better, a rush of something fresh and new to push away the ugliness from his mind. Sadly, it could only do so much to soothe him. It was colder outside than he remembered, and his posture was slumped. Did he really think she would be different than anyone else in this world? Had he been so swept up in emotion that he had forgotten the cruelty that had a chokehold on this world.

He should have known better by now.


End file.
